Have a whale of a time at King’s Point’s Humpback Whale Pavilion

The idea of a whale washing ashore in Newfoundland and Labrador and becoming a tourist attraction may have sounded like a far-fetched story years ago.

It has become a more common notion following the attention of several now notorious beachings in recent years. However, the Humpback Whale Pavilion in scenic King’s Point — located on the north shore of the southwest arm of Green Bay — came about during a more “fishy” time in the history of the great mammals of the sea as a tourist attraction.

The 50-foot humpback whale skeleton is showcased inside the pavilion, with an interpretive display reporting the history of the mammal and how it came to be this attraction. Officially opened in 2010, a project that cost more than $700,000, it remains part of a tourist experience in King’s Point that is still identified as “an undiscovered gem.”

From the bowhead whale found on the shores of Rattling Brook in 1998 — a discovery shrouded in controversy — to this humpback whale found in Cobb’s Arm and brought to King’s Point several years later, the tale is one worth a listen.

Not intriguing enough? Learn how the “Whale Man” played a role in its existence and how the Dr. Jon Lien Great Whale Tour Network of Green Bay and White Bay came to be.

If finding your sea legs is not enough fun for one day, there is still plenty else to do in the King’s Point area.

The Alexander Murray Trail is an eight-kilometre scenic tour of beautiful wilderness through the likes of the Moose Barrens and links to the Corner Brook gorge and Corner Brook falls. Once you reach the summit — HayPook — you get a 360-degree view of the scenic Southwest Arm of Green Bay.

The Humpback Whale Pavilion in King’s Point can be found harbour-side in the scenic Town of King’s Point. -Contributed